1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a physiological goods for the use of a woman who is in her menstrual period, and more particularly to a physiological tampon which is very sanitary to handle and easy to correctly position when in use. It also relates to an applicator for inserting an absorbent goods, a medical product, or the like into the interior of a human body (hereinafter simply referred to as the "body") such as vagina, rectum or the like, and more particularly to an applicator which is very handy for a woman, who is in her menstrual period, to carry out a sanitary and easy insertion of a tampon into her vagina. It also relates to a method for manufacturing the applicator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a representative goods which is to be inserted into the interior of the body, such as an absorbent goods, a medical product or the like, there is a tampon. There are two types of a tampon which is mostly used at present. One is an applicator type and the other is a finger type.
The applicator type tampon has the construction as shown in FIG. 27. An applicator included in this kind of a tampon 1 includes an outer barrel 3 for accommodating therein an absorbent material 2, and an inner barrel 4 which can be inserted into the outer barrel 3. The inner barrel 4 is provided with a tiny hole formed along its axis. This tiny hole serves as an inlet path for pulling out a pull string 5 which is used for pulling out the absorbent material 2 from the interior of the outer barrel 3 to an end portion of an inner barrel 4. The absorbent material 2 used here comprises an absorbent fiber compressed into a cylindrical shape.
Therefore, insertion of the applicator type tampon 1 is carried out in such a manner as shown in FIG. 28. That is, the tampon 1 is clamped with the thumb and the middle finger placed on the outer barrel 3. Then, the index finger is abutted against an end face of the inner barrel. After the outer barrel portion is inserted into and correctly positioned in a predetermined place of the body, the inner barrel 4 is pushed in with the index finger. Then, the absorbent material 2 accommodated in the outer barrel 3 is pushed away from the outer barrel 3 and inserted into a predetermined place of the body. Thereafter, the outer and inner barrels 3 and 4 are withdrawn from the body, thereby to correctly set the tampon in the body.
On the other hand, the finger type tampon 1 does not have an applicator. It merely comprises an absorbent material 2 and a pull-string 5 (see FIG. 29). When in use, the absorbent material 2 is directly inserted into the body.
In general, one of the important reasons why tampons are not spread can be found in the fact that tampons are difficult to insert. It has heretofore been mentioned that a plastic applicator type tampon is the most excellent from a view point of a smooth insertion into the body (FIG. 28).
However, as this type of a tampon is obliged to have an outer diameter the length of which is a sum obtained by adding together the outer diameter of the absorbent material and the thickness of the wall of the applicator, the outer diameter of the tampon becomes long and resistance at the time when the tampon is inserted is increased.
Also, as described in the foregoing, this kind of a tampon is an assembly comprising an inner barrel, an outer barrel and an absorbent material. As the overall length of this tampon is a sum obtained by adding together the length of the outer barrel and the length of the inner barrel, it becomes too long to be held in one hand. Furthermore, it is more desirable to make a tampon as small as possible from a view point that the tampon, i.e., must be disposed after they are used.
In view of the above, a flexible applicator was proposed. However, as this conventional applicator has a uniform expanding property both in the vertical and horizontal directions, the applicator also tends to expand in the vertical direction during an inserting operation. Therefore, much difficulty is encountered when a tampon is inserted into the body.
In a case of molding an applicator which forms a part of the above-mentioned applicator type tampon by using a plane sheet, if a press molding method or vacuum molding method using dies were employed, such methods would basically require a heat control and thus complicated. Moreover, according to the above-mentioned molding methods, it would be the limit that the thickness of the wall of the applicator is 0.2 mm or more and a ratio L/D between the depth L and the diameter D of the applicator is about 2.
On the other hand, in many of applicators for a tampon, the thickness of the wall thereof was generally so thin as 0.2 mm or less and L/D was 2 or more. Therefore, it was difficult to obtain the above-mentioned type of an applicator by means of the conventional molding method which uses dies.